--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't let the bastards grind you down." description: "\"Don't let the bastards grind you down.\" — Margaret Atwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/margaret-atwood-40_cheer-up_don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-15_1546835.jpg" --- # Don't let the bastards grind you down. ![“Don't let the bastards grind you down.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/margaret-atwood-40_cheer-up_don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-15_1546835.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/margaret-atwood-40_cheer-up_don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-15_1546835.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/margaret-atwood-40_cheer-up_don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-15_1546835.jpg) > “Don't let the bastards grind you down.” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Resisting oppression requires refusing to let hostile forces dominate your spirit. **In simple terms:** Don’t let oppression crush you. Key Takeaway Stay resilient against adversity. Themes resilience oppression personal strength Mood defiant determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - activism - personal setbacks - daily micro‑aggressions - political protest Key Concepts psychological endurance social justice inner fortitude Questions to Reflect On - What personal boundaries protect you from being worn down? - How do you support others facing oppression? A Different Perspective Even strong individuals can be worn down over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheer up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheer-up/) [Graduation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduation/) ## Related quotes > [“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Don't let the bastards grind you down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/nolite-te-bastardes-carborundorum-don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Don’t let the bastards grind you down.’ I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Illegitimus non carborundum" (Don't let the bastards grind you down!)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-k-lewis/illegitimus-non-carborundum-don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down/) Roger K. Lewis > [Dont let the bastards grind you down?" Bran looked at me incredulously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/dont-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-bran-looked-at-me-incredulously/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Illegitimis non carborundum. Lat., Don't let the bastards grind you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stilwell/illegitimis-non-carborundum-lat-don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down/) [Joseph Stilwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stilwell/) > [“Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I repeat this to myself but it conveys nothing. You might as well say, Don’t let there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-i-repeat-this-to-myself-but-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Don't let the bastards grind you down. I repeat this to myself but it conveys nothing. You might as well say, Don't let there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-i-repeat-this-to-myself-but-it-2/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Don't let the bastards get you down,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-let-the-bastards-get-you-down/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sing your song; don't let the bastards get you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/sing-your-song-don-t-let-the-bastards-get-you-down/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Don't take anything personally. You're going to come up against a lot and the best thing is to ignore it and don't let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslye-headland/don-t-take-anything-personally-you-re-going-to-come-up-against-a-lot/) [Leslye Headland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslye-headland/) > [When faced with the inevitable, you always have a choice… As I learned during my liberal arts education, any symbol can have, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-faced-with-the-inevitable-you-always-have-a-choice-as-i-learned/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS WILL ALWAYS BE UNGRATEFUL BECAUSE THAT IS WHO THEY ARE. THEY HAVE MANIPULATING THEIR WAY THROUGH LIFE SINCE BIRTH AND THERE IS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/relentless/ungrateful-bastards-will-always-be-ungrateful-because-that-is-who/) Relentless > [“The ones who got away never really get away. Those sick bastards< i>changed us – have their fingerprints all over our lives – and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roni-loren/the-ones-who-got-away-never-really-get-away-those-sick-bastards-i/) [Roni Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roni-loren/) > [“Gentlemen Bastards." hissed Locke, "do not abandon one another, and we do not run when we owe vengeance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/gentlemen-bastards-hissed-locke-do-not-abandon-one-another-and-we-do/) [Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/) > [Some's bastards, some's ain't. That's the score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/some-s-bastards-some-s-ain-t-that-s-the-score/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Bastards quotes > [Some's bastards, some's ain't. That's the score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/some-s-bastards-some-s-ain-t-that-s-the-score/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Gentlemen Bastards." hissed Locke, "do not abandon one another, and we do not run when we owe vengeance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/gentlemen-bastards-hissed-locke-do-not-abandon-one-another-and-we-do/) [Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/) > [“The ones who got away never really get away. Those sick bastards< i>changed us – have their fingerprints all over our lives – and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roni-loren/the-ones-who-got-away-never-really-get-away-those-sick-bastards-i/) [Roni Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roni-loren/) > [UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS WILL ALWAYS BE UNGRATEFUL BECAUSE THAT IS WHO THEY ARE. THEY HAVE MANIPULATING THEIR WAY THROUGH LIFE SINCE BIRTH AND THERE IS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/relentless/ungrateful-bastards-will-always-be-ungrateful-because-that-is-who/) Relentless > [“You bastards are on the top of Imperial Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan's very own shit list now, you bet. But under what name? Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/you-bastards-are-on-the-top-of-imperial-lord-auditor-miles-vorkosigan/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Even the best of us are at least part-time bastards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/even-the-best-of-us-are-at-least-part-time-bastards/) [Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/) > [I just think Radiohead are f-in' miserable bastards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-just-think-radiohead-are-f-in-miserable-bastards/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Don't let the bastards grind you down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/nolite-te-bastardes-carborundorum-don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“You’re one cruel bastard,” she managed to get out. He tsked with his tongue. “Everyone says that.” Then he took hold of her chin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-hardy/you-re-one-cruel-bastard-she-managed-to-get-out-he-tsked-with-his/) [Dianna Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-hardy/) > [All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-dwarfs-are-bastards-in-their-father-s-eyes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We were'nt nice at all, we were nasty little fucking bastards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sid-vicious/we-were-nt-nice-at-all-we-were-nasty-little-fucking-bastards/) [Sid Vicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sid-vicious/) > [We're going to find out who did this and we're going after the bastards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/we-re-going-to-find-out-who-did-this-and-we-re-going-after-the/) [Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/) > [“She should have suspected it. It had taken two heartbeats to note and catalog the man’s details, his tells and ticks. Sweaty, his face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/she-should-have-suspected-it-it-had-taken-two-heartbeats-to-note-and/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [They've got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-ve-got-us-surrounded-again-the-poor-bastards/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are the sons of no one, bastards of young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-koechner/we-are-the-sons-of-no-one-bastards-of-young/) [David Koechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-koechner/) Browse all 92 Bastards quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't let the bastards grind you down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bastards" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/margaret-atwood-40_cheer-up_don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-15_1546835.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/margaret-atwood-40_cheer-up_don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-15_1546835.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/margaret-atwood-40_cheer-up_don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down-15_1546835.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't let the bastards grind you down.” — Margaret Atwood", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Margaret Atwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Don't let the bastards grind you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/don-t-let-the-bastards-grind-you-down/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```